Mary TallMountain
by George J. Dance Mary TallMountain (June 19, 1918 - September 2, 1994) was a Native American poet and story writer.Author Biography, Mary TallMountain. Web, Sep. 26, 2016. Life TallMountain was born to Clem Stroupe and Mary Jo Demooski in Nulato, Alaska, on the Yukon River, 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle, When she was 2 her mother, who was dying of tuberculosis, gave her and her newborn brother into the care of a non-Native family, the Randals, who brought her to San Francisco when she was 6.About Mary TallMountain, Freedom Voices. Web, Sep. 27, 2016. Traumatized first by losing her family and homeland, then by the harshness of mainstream American culture, TallMountain felt like an angry outsider for many years, and turned to writing was a way of reclaiming her ancestry, family and homeland, and claiming her own proud native voice. She worked as a legal secretary in Reno, Nevada, where she developed a strong interest in the Catholic church. For many years she wrote a column called "Meditations for Wayfarers" in the Franciscan publication The Way. TallMountain was active in the Native American literature renaissance or more than 20 years. Her poems and stories have been published in dozens of anthologies and periodicals nationwide, including The Language of Life, The Harpers Anthology of Twentieth Century Native American Poetry, The Alaska Quarterly, and Animals Agenda. She read for audiences throughout California and Alaska. In the last years of her life, TallMountain was closely associated with the Tenderloin Reflection and Education Center (TREC), a community-based nonprofit spiritual and cultural center in her San Francisco neighborhood. She was a poet in residence there in 1991-1992, and participated in many of TREC's workshops and performances. Writing TallMountain incorporated her Christian faith, Native spirituality and Athabascan heritage into her writings.Mary Tall Mountain, Native American Authors, iSchool at Drexel, College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University. Web, Sep. 27, 2016. Her stories and poems portray life along the Yukon River and her removal from that land. Her work also captures tender images of street life in inner city San Francisco. Recognition TallMountain was a Pushcart Prize recipient, 1982-1983. Billy Collins included her poem, " The Last Wolf" in his 2003 anthology, Poetry 180.The Last Wolf, Poetry 180, Poetry and Literature, Library of Congress. Web, Jan. 20, 2019. The TallMountain Circle is a foundation which oversees the annual TallMountain Awards, and works to preserve and distribute her work. According to TallMountain's will, the proceeds from her published works go to benefit low-income writers, particularly Native Americans and writers living in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. The TallMountain Circle was establihed by TREC to carry out those goals.TallMountain Circle, Freedom Voices. Web, Sep. 27, 2016. Publications Poetry *''Matmiya''. Mill Valley, CA: Winston Network, 1987. *''The Light on the Tent Wall: A bridging''. Los Angeles, CA: American Indian Studies Center, University of California, 1990. *''A Quick Brush of Wings''. San Francisco: Freedom Voices, 1991. *''Listen to the Night: Poems for the animal spirits of mother earth''. San Francisco: Freedom Voices, 1995. *''Haiku, and other poetic forms'' (edited by Kitty Costello). San Francisco: Grows Like Weeds Press, 1996. Juvenile *''Green March Moons'' (illustrated by Joseph E Senungetuk). Berkeley, CA: New Seed Press, 1987. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Mary TallMountain, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Sep. 27, 2016. See also *Native American poets *List of U.S. poets References Fonds The Rasmussen Library at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks houses an archival collection of TallMountain's published and unpublished works. Notes External links ;Poems *"The Last Wolf" at Poetry 180 *2 poems by TallMountain: "The Last Wolf," "Soogha Dancing" *3 poems by TallMountain: "Good Grease," "Indian Blood," "The Last Wolf" ;About *Mary Tall Mountain at Native American Authors *Mary TallMountain Official website ;Etc. *TallMountain Circle Category:1918 births Category:1994 deaths Category:20th-century poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:American poets Category:American women writers Category:English-language poets Category:Native American poets Category:Poets